Warning! Spoilers for Batman #88 by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles below
Batman’s always had a wealth of gadgets at his disposal. It’s one of the benefits of being a billionaire superhero - you can come up with and finance all kinds of new tech. Batman’s latest gadget is unique, giving him the ability to turn any Wayne Enterprises-branded car into a Batmobile.
So far, in James Tynion IV’s Batman run, there has been a renewed emphasis on the Caped Crusader’s gadgets - specifically, new ones. A new gadget called the Shadowcasters, which is an advanced movement tracker, debuted in Batman #86. In Batman #88, Batman got another new piece of tech to use called the Echo.
Batman was in immediate need of a Batmobile after his run-in with the villainous assassin Cheshire in Batman #87. He doesn’t have the time to wait for a Batmobile to come to him, as Batman needs to get to the Penguin and Deathstroke. Lucius offers him a quick solution telling Batman to check his utility belt pocket. He pulls out a square device that Lucius describes as the Echo. The “last resort” gadget has the ability to turn any Wayne Enterprises-branded vehicle into an instant Batmobile in disguise.
The Echo interfaces with the advanced engines of the Wayne Enterprises’ vehicle - in this case, a Portia XL - and creates a holo-interface that disguises the true image of the car. So, while Batman’s vehicle is a Portia, it looks like a Batmobile. It’s essentially a high-tech cloaking device. Batman smirks upon the realization he’s got an instant Batmobile in his pocket.
For those worried about Batman stealing a Portia, the car belongs to Lucius, and he assures Bruce he’ll “be paying for it.” Later in the issue when Batman finally catches up with the Penguin and Deathstroke, Batman drives right through a crowd of people damaging the car. Lucius reminds him the car is just a Portia disguised as a batmobile and that “you realize the car has none of the armor of a usual Batmobile,” to which Batman responds “bill me.”
It remains to be seen if the Echo sees all that much usage going forward. However, it’s certainly a handy device to have when Batman needs a Batmobile quicker than one can arrive. He’s just got to remember that it’s not really a Batmobile - otherwise, Batman’s going to be paying a lot more damage bills in the future.
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